An island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea and opposite the Sorrento Peninsula, the Island of Capri is as beautiful in real life as it is in the movies and how I imaged it to be.

We spent one full day in the island of Capri whilst we were on a 5-day holiday to the Amalfi Coast. It’s easy to fill a day trip to Capri itinerary; a visit to the Blue Grotto with an optional boat tour around the island, exploring Anacapri, enjoying breath-taking views from Monto Solaro, window shopping the top luxury brands in Capri and taking a few gelato and espresso breaks.

if you are doing a day trip to Capri, be prepared and book your ferry tickets in advance! We arrived at Sorrento’s Marina Piccola port bright and early and caught the first coach there so that we could make the most out of our time there. There are boats departing every 30 minutes and the crossing over to Capri takes about 25 minutes and the round-trip costs around €30 EUR. You can buy tickets in advance from www.naplesbayferry.com. Whether travelling from Sorrento or Naples, take a seat on the left side of the ferry to enjoy the best views of the coast between Sorrento and Punta Campanella.

Getting around Capri

Once you arrive on the island you can buy your ticket for the funicular which is €2 from the ticket office next to the ferry booths. There is a small railway taking you up to the town of Capri. You wouldn’t want to walk all the way up to town! From there, you can explore Capri first before taking the bus to Anapcapri.

We didn’t actually go for this option and instead, decided to rent a scooter for 3 hours so that we can explore the surrounding areas ourselves. My husband, Khaled enjoys riding the scooter so it was a no brainer and the roads were all straight forward (especially compared to Nusa Penida islands of Bali!). We booked our motorbike for after we got back from the boat tour.

Blue Grotto

I wasn’t sure whether the Blue Grotto was worth seeing but all I knew is that I had to make the decision for myself. We booked this tour as soon as we got onto the island and also went for the island boat tour – it came up to €18 pp. After you board, the boat from Marina Grande will anchor just outside the Blue Grotto so the little dingy boats can pick you up. Up to four people can fit in the boats that enter the cave, but Khaled and I had one to ourselves. Once you transfer to the dingy boat, you will make a quick stop at the Blue Grotto ticket boat. This is where you will pay your entry fee which is €14. You will then wait with the other dingy boats for your turn to enter the Blue Grotto.

If you’re claustrophobic, this may be an issue as the mouth of the cave is TINY and you have to lay all the way down in the boat to get through. The captain will time the entrance and use a chain along the roof of the cave to quickly pull the boat in – i did scream when going in as i just didn’t really expect it. You will then enter the magical cavern, alive with glistening iridescent blue light, brighter than the sky. It is beautiful. Your captain will spin you around, sing a song in Italian (its tradition) and offer to take pictures of you. 10 minutes later, you’re back out. 

The tour guide was explaining that in Roman times, the natural sea cave was used as a maritime temple. It was then abandoned until 1826 due to rumours and wild stories of evil spirits and demons. An Italian fishermen then revealed it to two well-known German creatives: writer August Kopisch and painter Ernst Fries.

So was it worth it? Yes, it was 100% worth it!

Boat Tour

This can be covered along with visiting the Blue Grotto and will cover the Faraglioni Roacks which are 3 massive rock formations known as Stella, Di Mezzo and Di Fuori. It also covers the Statue of Scugnizzo, the Tiberius Leap, Punta Carena Lighthouse and other entry points to various grottos. It takes around 2 hours for the entire island trip.

Explored the island by Scooter

After eating a delicious Caprese sandwich at Pizzeria Buonocore, we rented a scooter for 4 hours for 30 euros. This was a really great decision as it gave us the most flexibility to explore the island in our own pace. Here are some pictures of the stops we took:

Main Town Square

Our last stop was going to the main town square in Capri, known as one of the most fashionable squares in the world. We strolled down the infamous Via Camerelle, renowned for its luxury shops and fashion boutiques which line the street. We did some window shopping before driving back down to the port ready for the last ferry ride back/